I think that the organizers view these mugs as souvenirs (remember, that was what tiki mugs were created for in the first place!), and their first priority is making sure that people attending the event have a chance to have a special souvenir of their time at the event. I've seen plenty of cases where the mugs didn't sell out at the event, and were later offered to people who were not at the event. Keep in mind that the organizer's number one goal is to encourage event attendance, and to make the event a special experience for those who have come out for it, not to sell tiki mugs.

Now, with the Bad Liver mug, as Tiki-Kate noted, if you can't make it to Forbidden Island, you will still have many, many opportunities to buy one on eBay, it just won't have the magical, mystical, mystery multi-glaze. I don't see any problem with Stuckie & Martiki doing something special to encourage people to come out to Forbidden Island. Tiki bars don't stay open all by themselves, they need your patronage!

My beef (or chicken if you prefer) is with the organizers of these things.

Now I know that you said that you don't want to offend Martin, but considering the recent demise of Sam's Seafood, The Royal Hawaiian, The Voodoo Lounge and The Lucky Tiki, are you honestly begrudging a business owner his method for creating some foot traffic at his establishment?

I simply am stating like TeaKey that when you live so far away and have limited access to these cool places we don't very often get to be "foot traffic". This isn't for a lack of desire or trying and back east we do travel fairly good distance to patronize the few places that do exist. All we want is a chance to grab a little bit of that magic (aka a mug). If they want to make an extra special version for on premise or event sale then that's cool too. I also recognize that with the really big events (Tiki Oasis, Hukilau, etc.) then maybe you do have to limit stuff to attendees but just make sure every attendee can score one if they want.

Martin is a good oak and I can't wait to get up to NoCal again soon to stop by FI.

I simply am stating like TeaKey that when you live so far away and have limited access to these cool places we don't very often get to be "foot traffic". This isn't for a lack of desire or trying and back east we do travel fairly good distance to patronize the few places that do exist. All we want is a chance to grab a little bit of that magic (aka a mug). If they want to make an extra special version for on premise or event sale then that's cool too.

As not to miss your point again, what financially prudent suggestion would you offer Martin that would make you happy?

It is not about making me happy perse but about letting those of us on the other coast share in the tiki-life that is so much more abundant out there (remember I got into this thread by giving a shout of support to TeaKey). In my previous e-mail I suggested offering a slightly different version of the mug for sale via internet. They could also have done a limited time on-line sale similar to what Holden did with the Tiki Mag mugs. Again these options put the business at little or no risk but allow them to get a good read of how far and wide their "fan Base" may be. It also doesn't leave some of us at the mercy of the ebay pirates.

I will conclude with the immortal words of Forrest Gump "That's all I have to say about that"

Sooo ..... which one of you Californians did the modeling for this mug? Did Stuckie attend a recent Tiki Bar tour, wait for the first person to pass out, and then take a series of secret X-rays of that person before they awoke? Was it done on one of Pablus's journeys out west?

I think you should invite Matt "The Tube" Crowley to be at Forbidden Island on October 1 .... some real interesting things could happen.

It is not about making me happy perse but about letting those of us on the other coast share in the tiki-life that is so much more abundant out there (remember I got into this thread by giving a shout of support to TeaKey). In my previous e-mail I suggested offering a slightly different version of the mug for sale via internet. They could also have done a limited time on-line sale similar to what Holden did with the Tiki Mag mugs. Again these options put the business at little or no risk but allow them to get a good read of how far and wide their "fan Base" may be. It also doesn't leave some of us at the mercy of the ebay pirates.

I will conclude with the immortal words of Forrest Gump "That's all I have to say about that"

Fair enough, Matt. Sorry to rag so much. It seemed like a good and lively debate at the time. Don't know why, but this topic really got my goat. Maybe it's because I live out in the middle of Freakin' Nowhere California and have to drive for hours to get anywhere cool. Makes a person kinda cranky. _________________

The Fine Print: Because of overwhelming demand, this mug is strictly limited to one per person. CASH ONLY. Mugs will be sold on an in-person, first come, first served basis starting Sunday- no exceptions. Those interested should form a line along the front of Forbidden Island before 3pm. Those in line will be issued one voucher which can be exchanged for one mug. The voucher will be issued in numerical order with numbers corresponding to the number of the mug. Voucher will be good Sunday 10/1/06 only.

Hey Martiki,
Can I sleep on one of the futons Saturday night? They're gonna be fumigating my apartment building and we all need to find a place to stay.

Coco Loco: Yes, the door will be locked until 3pm. Possibly with armed guards.

Midnite: nevermind.

There is most certainly not a conspiracy to deprive people outside of California of tiki mugs, at least not on my part. As Kate said, it is about foot traffic, having fun, and celebrating Munktiki, in no particular order. I'm very fortunate to have developed a great relationship with Stuckie & Paul, and I am deeply, deeply grateful to Munktiki for all they've done for FI. (Not to mention the Farm! Good to have all the big guys on your side!)

Simple fact is that I've been having a lot of fun working on this with Stuckie, creating the drink (3rd place winner at the Rye Bar Mixology competition two months ago! Almost cool!), and creating something special that could be enjoyed by our patrons, since you'll have to pry the fugus from my cold dead hands.

Here's the thing: this is the first time we've done something like this. For reasons of uncertainty, $$$, and mug mold quality issues, the run is very small. Think of it as more of a trial. Obviously, I wish there were more, given the incredible interest this has generated. (We just got BoingBoinged about this- thanks a lot, Humu ) BUT...I'd say there's about a 100% chance that Munktiki and FI will team up again on something like this, and it will be a larger run. But as Humu said, chances are that they will only ever be available at FI, since I do believe in getting mugs as a souvenir of your visit to a place or event. That's why I don't sell FI's regular mug online (neither does Purple Orchid, for example)- you should visit and drink out of it. I never got a Hale Tiki mug, because I never made it in time.

Try for the eBay one- they look great in the green glaze, too.

Hey rugmymatt, no offense taken, but I'm pretty sure you got the tshirt from Michael, not me, since I wasn't at TO this year.

Ahaha, it's funny reading the hard-luck stories in this thread. Try living in New Zealand and trying to collect this stuff! It simply doesn't exist. I've just won a free mug thanks to the kindness of Tiki Matt, but it'll still cost me in excess of $25 NZ just to get it sent. The Crazy Al mugs I ordered cost me about 80 bucks each!
I've got to say there are some really awesome people here who have helped me out with few items I wouldn't otherwise be able to get and with offers to trade for my own tiki art, and I am very grateful for that.